Dems pick potential successor to DC's congressional delegate after decades-long incumbency

Washington, D.C. voters head to the polls as mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George campaigns on universal childcare, social housing. expanded rent control.

At-large D.C. Council member Robert White Jr. won the Democratic primary Tuesday forEleanor Holmes Norton’slongtime non-voting congressional seat. putting him on track to become the district’s first new member of Congress since 1991.

The rare open-seat contest for D.C.’s delegate post came after Norton. 88, announced she wouldnot seek another termfollowing 18 terms in Congress. The Democratic nominee will advance to the November general election in heavily Democratic Washington, where the party’s nominee is heavily favored against Republican. third-party challengers.

D.C.’s delegate can introduce legislation, serve on committees. advocate for the district on Capitol Hill, but the role does not include a final vote on the House floor. The race comes as Washington continues its long-running fight over statehood, home rule and federal control of the nation’s capital.

The primary race was held under D.C.’s newranked-choice votingsystem, but White was able to secure the nomination.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) attends the Swearing In Ceremony of members of the Council of the District of Columbia at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington,DC on January 02, 2025.(Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

White has served as an at-large member of the D.C. Council since 2016 and previously worked in Norton’s congressional office as legislative counsel. He entered the race after dropping a possible mayoral bid. arguing the district needed a more aggressive advocate in Congress as federal pressure on D.C. intensified.

Norton was first elected in 1990. took office in 1991, becoming the district’s nonvoting delegate and one of D.C.’s most recognizable political figures. Her retirement closes an 18-term tenure spanning roughly 35-years, defined by fights overstatehood,home rule. full congressional representation for the capital.

For many D.C. voters, Norton has been the only congressional delegate they have ever known. Her decision to step aside after 18 terms opened the first truly competitive race for the seat in decades. set off a scramble among local Democrats seeking to inherit one of the district’s most symbolic political posts.

Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat from the District of Colombia, during a House Transportation. Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

White will advance to the November general election. where the Democratic nominee will be heavily favored in overwhelmingly Democratic Washington, D.C.

Republican Denise Rosado is running unopposed for the GOP nomination. while at least one third-party candidate, Kymone Freeman, is also seeking the nonvoting delegate seat.